That is pretty much tantamount to "not caring" as I see it. They don't care about race all that much as Americans, except perhaps for reasoning given behind Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, but that's more along the lines of ugly politics concerning Tibet. Unless they truly do obsess over American actors, which is somewhat rare as I see it. They can recognize a face, but a name is not recognizable to most of them.

I will also calmly and disagree with the outcome of your claim, although I believe you are correct, there is demographic appeal. The difference in America in that 5% of the population is Asian, and quite usually affluent Asians, and the fact that America is highly diverse, compared to.....Japan? The reason no one complains about Japan using Japanese actors is two pronged. There are vastly more Japanese, and there are few foreigners who speak Japanese. This is essentially what dubbing is going for.

Yet there are very few Asian actors. Well, maybe I'm incorrect. Maybe this is just how dice are played. I honestly never seen a lot of Asian actors in my theatre class, hmm.

I will continue to think of a reply.

I don't think you articulated particularly well here because it sounds like you are more or less just saying "No one cares because they are all primarily from the same demographic." Which is more or less the point I was making, if you don't like a movie targeting a demographic find one that targets yours, or better yet find one that doesn't have to resort to pandering to get by.

Truly and wholly I don't care if you want to make a movie with an entirely Polynesian cast down to the extras and staff. My problem is when franchises with significant sentimental appeal stamp on loyal fanbases and are altered just so they can say "look how progressive I am", It doesn't matter to me that Matt Damon is starring in what looks like a flop that we will have entirely forgot about a few weeks after its release. It does bother me when a franchise like DeathNote changes the face of a character that has been used for something like a decade to try and stroke SJW egos. No matter how great a job Stanfield does, I have like 15 years of baggy eyed Asian 'L' ingrained in my head and there really is zero justification in changing the source material, it's a wholly unnecessary risk. If the Great Wall is based off some book or story that I don't know of that is particularly endearing I can see where people would be upset, otherwise there is nothing wrong with them casting MD even if it is dumb.

That is pretty much tantamount to "not caring" as I see it. They don't care about race all that much as Americans, except perhaps for reasoning given behind Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, but that's more along the lines of ugly politics concerning Tibet. Unless they truly do obsess over American actors, which is somewhat rare as I see it. They can recognize a face, but a name is not recognizable to most of them.

I will also calmly and disagree with the outcome of your claim, although I believe you are correct, there is demographic appeal. The difference in America in that 5% of the population is Asian, and quite usually affluent Asians, and the fact that America is highly diverse, compared to.....Japan? The reason no one complains about Japan using Japanese actors is two pronged. There are vastly more Japanese, and there are few foreigners who speak Japanese. This is essentially what dubbing is going for.

Yet there are very few Asian actors. Well, maybe I'm incorrect. Maybe this is just how dice are played. I honestly never seen a lot of Asian actors in my theatre class, hmm.

I will continue to think of a reply.

I don't think you articulated particularly well here because it sounds like you are more or less just saying "No one cares because they are all primarily from the same demographic." Which is more or less the point I was making, if you don't like a movie targeting a demographic find one that targets yours, or better yet find one that doesn't have to resort to pandering to get by.

Truly and wholly I don't care if you want to make a movie with an entirely Polynesian cast down to the extras and staff. My problem is when franchises with significant sentimental appeal stamp on loyal fanbases and are altered just so they can say "look how progressive I am", It doesn't matter to me that Matt Damon is starring in what looks like a flop that we will have entirely forgot about a few weeks after its release. It does bother me when a franchise like DeathNote changes the face of a character that has been used for something like a decade to try and stroke SJW egos. No matter how great a job Stanfield does, I have like 15 years of baggy eyed Asian 'L' ingrained in my head and there really is zero justification in changing the source material, it's a wholly unnecessary risk. If the Great Wall is based off some book or story that I don't know of that is particularly endearing I can see where people would be upset, otherwise there is nothing wrong with them casting MD even if it is dumb.

That's pretty much what I was saying. How many people who aren't Japanese are actors in Japan who can speak Japanese? It's simply more convenient to hire a Japanese person, because they don't have the issue/positive of diversity.

Though I do see your point. If they made Harley Quinn Black or Asian it would disturb me greatly, though it would depend on the character being race changed. It's enough they made Sulu gay and shit on Sulu's legacy.

I . . . am upset that a European actor is playing a role that should have . . . gone to a Chinese actor . . .

Edited out the fluff to help you understand the core meaning of your own words.

Nothing more, nothing less. I am in fact probably one of the least racist people you could ever meet.

Then what concern could you possibly have over the lead actor of this movie? Is it his bad acting?

I have nothing against the premise of the film, or of Matt Damon himself, just an issue of someone from their culture trying to impose a different race upon a part of their history.

I don't seem to recall Chinamen fighting off monsters in History class.

It's a blockbuster. Chill.

Your profile says that you're German American. Would you want someone who's Asian to play a role in German or American history who is supposed to be from that original culture, IE German or American?

I don't think I could give less a fuck if it was Paul Karason playing the part. I watch my movies based on watch value, not because of an arbitrary skin tone exuded by a single character.

Guess what.

Good actor? Great watch value.

They probably won't tackle the implications of a white hero in a Chinese land at that time. It could be great if they did. Imperialism is an issue which is still relevant today, quite frankly, but this is probably an excuse to cast Damon for a stupid action blockbuster. I would've loved for it to delve into anti foreigner settlements, how the government reacts to being weakened as a foreign supplier of poppy or something (If I got that right.), etc. I actually like Damon as an actor.

Edit: Then again the Chinese Government might get butthurt in that instance.

The reason no one complains about Japan using Japanese actors is two pronged. There are vastly more Japanese, and there are few foreigners who speak Japanese. This is essentially what dubbing is going for.

I'm more inclined to just chalk it up to the soft bigotry of low expectations. Hideo Kojima speaks little English but has worked with English Voice actors for years. That's why people become translators. Japanese companies don't want to hire outside of their own group for movies, TV shows et al. Either due to laziness or they feel other groups won't appeal to their demographic.

The reason no one complains about Japan using Japanese actors is two pronged. There are vastly more Japanese, and there are few foreigners who speak Japanese. This is essentially what dubbing is going for.

I'm more inclined to just chalk it up to the soft bigotry of low expectations. Hideo Kojima speaks little English but has worked with English Voice actors for years. That's why people become translators. Japanese companies don't want to hire outside of their own group for movies, TV shows et al. Either due to laziness or they feel other groups won't appeal to their demographic.

I find it hard to speak a language I can't attach meaning to. For example, when I think of TV, an image of a TV pops up. But if I say Terebi I think of the pokemon Celebi.

Lol yeah it's pretty hard to take a movie about the great wall with a white main character seriously

Don't forget about the monsters!

but its not white washing.

Yah it is. You don't know what you're talking about. Hollywood is racist!

The Chinese often have white westerners in advertising.

I am so offended upon learning this! Are they appropriating half of me?!?!?!

Are they white washing themselves?

No!! THIS IS BLATANT APPROPRIATION.

Same with the Japanese. They use white people to market things.

Not Nihon-sama too!!

Yet they are very proud people/proud of their race.

How can they be if they feel the need to appropriate me?!?

I dont think this is a big deal.

Make it one! It's our civic duty as priviledged first worlders to complain about things that don't really matter! Even if you don't think too much of it, just pretend you do! Then everyone can see how morally great a person you are!!

Yeah lets all be SJW's and lets all get on board with problems that are not really there!

And i stand by my "Fuck Will Smith" comments. I was really sad the other day when i saw that he is in "suicide squad"... almost makes me not want to go see it..
Whack ass lame ass rapper and cry baby biznitch.

EDIT: oh an what was up with all them Bruce Lee and Jet li and Jackie Chan western movies? why were they trying Yellow wash the west!?

And what about them Black Wu tang dudes trying to steal Chinese identity.

And whats up with Japanese people trying to make Japanese(anime) characters often/at times look caucasian?

Normally I try to stay above the racism talks, especially on the internet, but it's getting truly uncalled for now.

I grew up as a minority while being the majority race of the country I live in. AKA I am white and grew up in a black neighborhood. I experienced racism in all the fun colors it entails, the cry wolf bs, etc that people love to play with it. The neighborhood I grew up in was bad and I have since moved away from it, but still maintain ties there.

I'm honestly getting tired of all the complaints and cries of white washing and white privilege going on all over the place. Facts America is primarily white (OMG population majority whatever shall we do ), What a surprise when an ethnicity accounts for something in the range of 65% of the population that you see it occur more often. WOW basic statistics... come on people use your heads as something more than mobile hat racks.

In the end please realize people like being around people who are like themselves and bear a general resemblance to themselves, this isn't racism this is fact, survival traits. There are reasons anime conventions are uncomfortable to people who don't like anime because guess what they aren't interested in it and such blatant cultural displays leave them in a position no one likes being in, that of not having a clue.

Finally to address the original poster, OMG a EUROPEAN SOLDER (Europe is primarily white) gets played by a white guy. Well darn that might just make sense statistically speaking. Oh wait this was a medieval European soldier, well dang Europe was even more white in the middle ages, I'm sure someone can go dig up the statistics to validate that. Well dang stuff is starting to make sense.

Real racism is walking in to a college financial aid office and having the financial aid office take one look at you and tell you that you're the wrong color and to get the fuck out of there, that they didn't want you there. That's REAL RACISM. Hiring a white guy to play a character that statistically is almost guaranteed to be white according to the time period, that is not white washing, that is not racism, that just MAKES SENSE, common sense even.

In the end, I hope the lesson that sticks is that your heads can be used for something more than a hat rack, though I can feel the tide of the flame war rising.